Dystopian Wars

"And what would they be scared of? There's nothing to fear in a perfect world is there?"

1845: Years of strife have rippled across the globe
catalyzing Empires around the world to rise and fall under the harsh
dictates of steel and lead. To usher in a new age of peace amidst the
shadows of global turmoil requires a new age of technological
supremacy. British Aristocrat turned scientist, Lord Barnabas Draynes
Sturgeon, leads a massive expedition to the frigid continent of
Antarctica far to the south, fueled only by whispers of a lost vault in
which the road map toward a scientific utopia might be uncovered. But as
we know in our own world, Utopia is impossible. Sturgeon indeed
uncovers a vault deep within the southern glaciers, and with it,
technology so advanced and alien that the entire expedition is brought
to its knees. He begins making plans to develop this newfound science
with the goal of peace-inducing machinations but is ultimately betrayed
by his assistant Markov, who secretly flees back to Russia with a small
cache of the alien tech to be dealt to the highest bidders-and
replicated accordingly. Like a cancer eradicating life, Markov's
betrayal sows the seeds of indefinite global warfare over the next 30 or
so years, where tanks the size of castles, powered by newly-harnessed
nuclear fusion, lead armies of airships, submarines, and robots in a
face-off between the most powerful nations on the planet. All it ever
takes is one hidden leak to sink the ship.

The Russian Coalition and the Federated States of America square off!

The coolest part about Spartan Game's masterful miniatures
series Dystopian Wars-aside from the gorgeously innovative design of
the Steampunk inspired models-is of course the alternate history the
game is set in! The industrial revolution occurs about a century
earlier under the precept of ancient alien technology previously buried
deep within the Earth. The creators of the game have virtually
re-written world history in finite detail, adapting the various cultures
of the most powerful nations of the age into the technology itself,
offering a stylized diversity that makes choosing sides all the more
fun. The global climate of Dystopian Wars shapes up much differently
than our own historical political spectrum, with major figures like
Napolean Bonaparte dying much sooner throwing France in chaos, and the
American Civil war being fought over mineral resources instead of
slavery which was abolished in1825 here. These contextual differences
are prevalent all over the planet which is to be expected when events
are supplemented with the wild card of alien tech-especially when being
played on a global scale. Though the gameplay itself can be a little
tedious depending on the total point value of the fleets in play,
knowing the context of why battles are happening (including in-game
victory objectives that can be assigned) keeps the experience both
highly epic and enjoyably immersive. The stakes are higher than even the
most advanced airship can reach.

Russian Coalition Borodino Class battleship

Imagine taking control of the Prussian Empire's massive
fleet, gifted with Tesla Directed energy weapons from their dealings
with Markov, and pairing them with the terrifyingly massive robotic
squids fielded by the Empire of the Blazing Sun. The mission?To crush
the combined rocket firepower and flying robot squads of the Kingdom of
Britania and the Federated States of America so that an inland invasion
can materialize. Intrigued yet? These are just a few of the available
global powers to play (The Dominion of Canada included, what what) each
with their own unique technology, weapons (particle beams and lasers
mostly, absolutely insane for the 1800s), and advantages that make
studying your opponents in-field capabilities essential for developing a
counter strategy and securing victory. There are so many different
war-machines available for each side and for every theatre, that
building an attack force can get just a wee bit out of hand. It wouldn't
even be close to as fun otherwise.

A Prussian Empire task force glides along in the early hours of the morning.

Dystopian Wars essentially builds upon the core gameplay
mechanics first introduced in classic tabletops such as Uncharted Seas
and Firestorm Armada by bringing the war to every plane- air, land, and
sea. Knowing your ships movement capabilities is important when first
placing them prior to the match, as enemy ships can fire halfway across
the fieldfield without breaking a sweat. Range is broken down into
bands, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc, each separated by 8 inch increments. Depending
in which range band you sit relative to the enemy unit, you are rewarded
with a certain number of hit dice to roll when you fire, representing
the power, impact, and velocity of the blast. Rolling a 4, 5, or a 6
typically constitutes a hit, and every vessel in the game has detailed stats, including how many hits need to be
rolled with the die in a single blast in order to do damage to that
particular ship.

Now a great and innovative feature Dystopian wars has
brought to the table is the exploding dice mechanic. For every 6 a
player rolls, not only does it count as a hit in the pool, but that
player also gets a reroll to score even more hits on the enemy. If luck
is disgustingly on your side (and JADE has seen it happen many times)
then a ship as small as a frigate can conceivably sink a massive
battleship with a much higher damage rating.- A great allusion to the
real-world miracles that can sometimes take place on the field of
battle. There are many minute in-game details that bring more realism
and strategy to every match- striking an impressive and nuanced balance.
If an enemy ship has it's critical rating reached by your hit die for
example, not only does it take damage, but the opposing player also
rolls to see what additional damage they receive from the critical hit
table. These penalties are clever contextual elements that can range
from engine failure, to a straight up explosion which wipes out
everything in the surrounding area. Gives deadly accuracy a whole new
meaning.

Other noteworthy nuances in the Dystopian war for Earth
include: the ability to fire all weapons on a vessel at once to increase
hit potential, antiaircraft turrets on most ships which allow for auto
defence rolls against bombers and other aerial units when they attack,
carriers able to launch and recall fighters when they gain better
position, and the ability to board ships with marines to gut them from
the inside out. On the back of each unit's stat card is also a list of
faction-specific special abilities, contextually akin to the different
technological capabilities each nation possesses -but adding gross
amounts of additional strategy. Movement is fairly straightforward as
well, with each vessel having a minimum and maximum inch increment they
can travel each round (listed on the stat cards) and unique but
effective turning templates to simulate the actual physics of piloting
naval and aerial vessels in real time.

All in all, Dystopian Wars is a great miniatures
experience that will captivate players not only with it's fun gameplay,
but also with the level of depth prevalent in the excellent alternate
universe the creators have imagined. The best example of the imagination
bleeding into this game is the ability to play as the Covenant of
Antarctica, the Utopian nation forged by Barnabus Sturgeon in the wake
of his discovery to preserve the scientific knowledge at stake in the
ongoing world war. The Covenant's forces and weapons are perhaps the
most alien out of all the Dystopian factions and add even stronger
context and immersion whenever they make an appearance on the field.
Painting all of these miniatures is wholesomely thrilling and will
provide many hours of enjoyment for the gamers out there truly
passionate about the artform. As you can see, it's one of JADE's
favourite pastimes. Spartan games continues to build this universe with
each passing year, adding more arenas, scenarios, weapons, and factions
to the fold. In a conflict spanning the entire planet, the possibilities
are endless. Gear up and travel back to a once familiar time where the
powers that be are in flux and the only certainty is that world peace is
a long way off.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as JADE breaks down each of
the Major Dystopian Wars Factions including their history, weaponry,
and individual strategy. You don't want to miss this.